Brake-beam safety hanger



0. JOHNSON BRAKE BEAM SAFETY HANGER Filed July 16. 1923lllliilllllfllljlllllli Jhz/enior Olaf Io/2723077 if'orfleyfi- PatentedApr. 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,491,239 PATENT OFFICE.

OLOF JOHNSON, OF HUDSON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO WILLIAM H.THORN AND ONE-THIRD'TO OSCAR SOLHEIM, BO'TH OF HUQDSON, WISCONSIN.

BRAKE-BEAM SAFETY HANGER.

Application filed July 16, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLOF JOHNSON, a citizen of the UnitedStatesoresiding in Hudson, in the county of St. Croix and State ofWisconsin, have invented a new and useful Brake-Beam Safet v Hanger. ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in brake beam safety hangers forrailway freight cars.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and durable hanger ofthe present nature adapted to prevent the falling of a brake beam to theroad bed and designed to be quickly and easily detached from itssupporting truck member to permit of the ready removal of the brake beamfor repair or other purposes.

Another object is to-supply a readily detaehablesafetv hanger of thiskind. embodying self-contained yielding means operating to secure thehanger in place upon its support and also to prevent vibration andrattling thereof.

A further object is to provide a hanger of the instant nature. the.parts of which normally remain assembled. whereby the labor ofassembling during application and disassembling during removal isavoided and the loss or misplacement of parts prevented.

Vith the foregoing and other objects in view. which will appear in thefollowing description. the invention resides in the novel combinationand arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Safety hangers in the form of loops or brackets bolted or riveted toparts of car trucks have been used, but difiiculties have been met inapplying, maintaining the same in place and removing them. Many of thesedifficulties are overcome in my improved device which provides. amongother things, for convenient application and removal in assembled form,for secure attachment without Vibration, for assurance againstaccidental unthreading of securing nuts or the wearing and shearing ofretaining rivets and for the avoidance of damage to parts attended uponremoval.

. In the drawings. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying myinvention, the

same being illustrated as applied to the spring plank of a truck; Fig. 2is a similar view, a brake beam and, other truck parts Serial No.651,921

being also shown; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the devlce. aportion of a supporting spring plank being illustrated; Fig.

4 is a sectional View taken as on the line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 isasectional view taken as on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 and Figs. 6 and 7 areelevational views illustrating an alternate form of a bracket member andmounting therefor.

My improved safety hangers are used in pairs. the same being applied tothe spring plank of a truck and spaced apart so that the end of av brakebeam accidentally released will be caught and held against falling tothe road bed.

The hanger includes a bracket member A and a fender member B, as-will beobserved from the drawings, wherein similar reference characters havebeen used throughout the several views to indicate similar parts. Thebracket member A comprises a shank 10 formed with a saddle block 11 atits head and with an arm 12 reaching back from the base thereof. Thesaddle block 11 has a flange receiving recess 13 in its lower side. Withsaid block saddled on the upper edge of a flange 14 of a spring plank C(Fig. 4), the shank 10 lies against the inner side of saidfiange-lt. Apin 15 depending from the end of the arm 12 is provided to register withan aperture '16 in a spring plank web 17 and hold the bracket member Aagainst sliding longitudinally on the spring plank C. The fender memberB is hinged to the bracket member A. andcomprises a body 18 and angularfender arm 19 integral therewith.

The body 18 includes side pieces 18. which terminate at the top thereofin ears 20, said pieces being continued along the under side of thefender arm 19 to form strengthening ribs 19*. The bracket and fendermembers A and B constitute male and female hinge members, a pintle 21reaching through the cars and saddle block 11 supplying the connectingpivot. lVith the bracket member A riding the flange lt as shown, in Fig.4.- and with the fender member B folded as far as possible on saidbracket member, flange engaging portions 18 on the side pieces 18 of thebody 18 are brought against the outer side of the flange 14. Latch lugs22, embodied in said side pieces 18 catch beneath the underside of thespring plank C in such folded relation of said bracket and fender pieces18 members A and B and lock the former on the spring plank. I interposea keeper 23 between the two hi ed members A and B to yieldingly hold thdlatter against the spring plank flange 14 with the latch lugs 22 inlooking position therebeneath. This keeper 23 is a spring lea-f, thelower end thereof being seated in a socket 2 1 formed at the lower endof the body 18 by the angular web 25 spanning the space between the sidef said body. Shoulders 26 on the perimet r of the saddle block 11 at theforward side thereof supply abutments for the upper end of the springleaf 23. the same being considerably offset from the axis of the pintle21. With the spring leaf 23 bearing beneath the shoulders 26 at itsupper end and against the bottom of the socket 24 at its lower end, itwill be understood that the fender member B is held by said springagainst swinging in a direction to carry the latch lugs 22 from lockingposition beneath the spring plank C. The socket 24 is so arranged andthe spring leaf 23 of such length that forced against the saddle block11 beneath the shoulders 26. This arrangement bows the spring leaf (Fi4) the resiliency thereof tending to yiel ingly press the body 18 of thefender member B against the face of the spring plank flange 14. Thefender member leaf 23 against swinging from locked relation and beingyieldingly pressed against the flange 14;, it will be understood thatthe device will normally remain firmly fixed in place.

In applying the hanger, the fender member B is swung away from thebracket member A as shown in dotted lines Fig. 4, to permit thestraddling of the flange 14 of a spring plank. 'The pin 15 is guidedinto an aperture 16 bored in the web 17 to receive it and the saddleblock '11 is seated on the upper edge of said flange. The fender memberB is then further folded on the bracket member A to carry the latch lugs22 beneath the spring plank (solid lines Fig. 4) and the surfaces 18"against the face of the flange 14. In this position of the fender memberB, the upper end of the spring leaf 23 is caught beneath the shoulders26 on the I saddle block 11.

In removing the hanger, a chisel or other instrument is inserted in thespace 27 (Fig. 3) between the spring leaf 23 and saddle I block 11. Byprying outwardly against said leaf, the upper end thereof is sprung fromlocking position beneath the shoulders 26, whereupon the fender member Bmay be swung to position (dotted lines Fig. 4), freeing the latch lugs22 from the spring plank. Having unlocked the device from the springlank, as just described, the bracket mem er A is easily liftedsufficiently the upper end of the leaf, is

B being thus held by said spring 1 Should it be desired to remove thespring replacement, a' tool is leaf 23 for repair or in the bottom ofthe inserted in a kerf 25 web 25 and said leaf dislodged by drivingthetool upward in said kerf and against the bottom of said spring leaf.Having no normally separable parts and only requiring an aperture in theplank that is readily formed with an ordinary drill, my device may bequickly and easily applied in assembled form and likewise removed.

My alternate form (Figs. 6 and 7) meets a condition wherein there isinsuflicient room on the inside of a spring plank flange 14 for abracket member A. The only change over the form shown in Figs. 1-5 is insaid bracket member A. In said alternate form, the arm 12 is omitted,the shank 10 being inserted between the spring plank and a supplementaryflange 14: secured to the face of the flange 1 1 of said spring plank.The saddle member 11 rides the upper edge of the supplementary flange 14and the latch lugs 22'of the fender member B are caught beneath thelower edge of said flange in the manner explained in connection with theform shown in Figs. 15.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, maybe made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what -I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. A brake beam safety hanger including bracket and fender members, theformer formed with a depending pin to register with an aperture in theweb of the spring plank, the fender member comprislng a body and anangular fender arm integral therewith, said body having ears at the headthereof and latch lugs near its lower end, the latter serving to catchbeneath the spring plank, a pintle reaching through said ears and saddleblock and hingedly pining said members, a holder near the lower en ofsaid body, a spring, leaf seated at its lower end in said holder andbowed by engagement of its upper end with the saddle block, the tensionof the bowed sprin leaf serving to yieldingly hold the fen er memberagainst the flange with the latch lugs beneath said plank, and shoulderson the saddle block forming abutments for the upper end of the springleaf and adapted to normally hold said sprin leaf in said holder. 2. Abrake beam sa ety hanger including bracket and fender members, theformer comprising a saddle block adapted to ride the upper edge of aspring plank flange, the fender member comprising a body and an angularfender arm integral therewith, said body having an ear at the headthereof and a latch lug near its lower end, the latter serving to catchbeneath the spring plank, a

intle reaching through said ear and sadfile block and hingedly joiningthe fender member therewith, and a spring leaf caught at its lower endnear the lower end of said body, said spring leaf being bowed byengagement of its upper end with the saddle lock, the tension of saidspring serving to yieldingly hold the fender member against the flangewith the latch lugs beneath the spring plank.

3. rake beam safety hanger including bracket and fender members, theformer comprising a saddle block adapted to ride the upper edge of aspring plank flange, the fender member comprising a body and an an larfender arm integral therewith, said bod; having an ear at the headthereof and a latch lug near its lower end, the latter serving to catchbeneath the spring plank, a pintle reaching through said ear and saddleblock and hingedly joining the fender member therewith, a rest on thebody, a shoulder on the saddle block oifset from the axis of the pintle,a keeper seated at its lower end on said rest and engaged beneath saidshoulder at its upper end, said keeper serving to hold the fender memberagainst swinging on the saddle block in a direction to carry the latchlugs from looking position beneath the spring plank.

4. The combination with a supporting frame member, of a hinge memberriding the same, a second hinge member pivoted to the said first hingemember, a latch lug and a fender arm on said second member, said lugbeing arranged to catch beneath the frame member and lock said membersin place thereon, and a keeper oo-acting with the hinge members tosecure said second member against swinging from looking position.

5. The combination with a supporting frame member, of a hinge memberriding the same, a second hinge member pivoted to the said first hingemember, a latch lug and a fender arm on said second member, said lugbeing arranged to catch beneath the frame member and lock said membersin place thereon, and aresilient keeper co-acting with the hinge membersto yieldingly press said second member against the frame member inlooking position.

6. Ina hanger, a bracket member adapted to be saddled on a supportingflange, a fender member hinged on said bracket member and formed with acatch to engage the underside of said flange, and a spring leafco-operating with said members to yieldingly hold the same againstrelative pivoting movement and thereby normally look the hanger on theflange.

7. A brake beam safety hanger compris: ing a hinged structure adapted,when folded together, to straddle a supporting flange, said structureincluding a bracket member, a fender member pivoted thereto, said fendermember having a catch thereon for engagement with the underside of theflange, and means for holding said members in folded relation.

8. A brake beam safety hanger comprising two hinged members adapted tofold over a supporting flange and interlockingly embrace the same, andmeans for yieldingly holding said members in folded flange embracingrelation.

9. In a device of the class described, a

pair of hinged members having means for opposed engagement with a springplank,

and a keeper normally operating to prevent f name to this specification.

' OLOF JOHNSON.

